Seeding is almost finished throughout the province. In the Central, North East, and North West regions, final seeding activities were delayed due to rainfall over the past week. These rains came with strong winds that persisted across most of the province, resulting in a general decrease in surface soil moisture everywhere except the Peace Region. Crop growth is progressing well. The South Region requires timely rainfall, whereas the rest of the province would benefit from warmer temperatures.
The provincial emergence of major crops this week aligns with historical averages, though progress would likely be faster if not for persistently cooler temperatures. Currently, 86 percent of major crops have emerged, matching both the 5- and 10-year averages. Regionally, crop emergence is below historical averages in the South and North East regions but ahead in the Peace, North West, and Central regions. Specifically, crop emergence rates are 85 percent in the South Region, 92 percent in the Central Region, 83 percent in the North East Region, 88 percent in the North West Region, and 83 percent in the Peace Region.
Despite the recent precipitation, surface soil moisture ratings have declined in all regions of the province except for the Peace Region. The provincial surface soil moisture good-to-excellent rating stands at 66 percent, which is higher than the 5-year average of 59 percent and the 10-year average of 62 percent. By region, the good-to-excellent ratings are reported as follows: 48 percent (-13) in the South Region, 61 percent (-18) in the Central Region, 89 percent (-4) in the North East Region, 80 percent (-2) in the North West Region, and 79 percent (+10) in the Peace Region.
View the province’s latest crop report at: https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/a8632ff6-a50d-496c-8dc6-7cee941b5977/resource/af8ca0d7-59cb-4eef-b98e-dcca50cdb4e4/download/agi-itrb-alberta-crop-report-2024-06-11-abbreviated-report.pdf